1. Field of the Invention
The following invention relates generally to a network of mobile stations, and more particularly to a network of dual mode mobile stations functioning in an unlicensed personal communications service band or in a cellular frequency band with specialized access to telecommunications network elements in either of these frequency bands.
2. Related Art
Independent owners of roadside plazas currently provide a debit card service to users, such as truckers. Debit account subscribers are debit card holders that buy and use prepaid cards to make calls. The debit cards are used to pay for telephone calls made at pay phones located at roadside plazas.
The subscribers call a toll free phone number associated with a centralized debit platform that handles the debit card billing. The debit platform, telephone call switching and pay phone managed by a service provider. The debit platform takes an accounting of the prepaid debit card amount consumed by the subscriber and debits the account.
The debit platform provides the subscriber with periodic audible messages (such as tones, recorded or live voice messages, or the like) alerting the subscriber of the remaining calling time or units remaining on the debit card. The phone service provider then bills the cost of the prepaid card calls to the roadside plaza owner/operator who sold the cards to the subscribers.
The problem with the use of prepaid debit cards is that there are a limited number of telephones available for calling card use at any given plaza. This limits the amount of revenue that can be generated by the plaza owners/operators. It also forces subscribers to wait to make calls until a telephone is available. In the trucking industry, truckers frequently must wait for specific instructions concerning pick-ups and deliveries. For example, a trucker may wait for a load to transport in the direction of home after delivering a load, rather than returning home with an empty rig. The waiting period can last for days, causing the trucker to simply wait at the plaza and periodically call a dispatcher or supervisor for updated instructions, since there is no way to receive immediate communications.
Of course the truckers or trucking companies can invest in cellular telephones for the truckers to use. However, since both outgoing and incoming cellular calls are charged at a high rate on a per-minute basis, in addition to having high registration fees, this solution is cost prohibitive. What is required is a system to permit truckers to freely roam from plaza to plaza and within the plazas, while maintaining communications in an efficient and economical manner.